Konoha Steel
by AnkoSupaFan
Summary: Naruto is saved from another beating, but this time the savior could turn his entire life around. He is given the chance to have a family, a dream, and aspire to true greatness. However, the road of life comes with many bumps along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related!**

**KONOHA STEEL**

**CHAPTER 1: FOUND IN THE RAIN**

If there's anything Hiruma Sheena hated, it was grocery shopping day. Maybe it was because business had been slow for her husband lately. Maybe it was because it had a habit of raining when she went. Then again, it might have had to do with the fact that she had to pass through the more… dangerous areas of Konoha to get home. At any rate, the woman could tell that today was going to be different, and she could not have been more right in her thinking if she wanted to be.

A light rain was falling in the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. The 24 year old woman was interested in simply getting home, dry, putting the groceries up, and spending time with her daughter. She ran a free hand through her shoulder length, brown hair. She wore a green dress with pink flowers, a pair of green pants, and blue shinobi sandals. As usual, she was making her way through what many called the slums of Konoha. It wasn't really too rundown mind you, but most of the poor, drunk, and least trustworthy citizens of the village lived here. She turned a corner that lead out of the slums, when she heard an outraged shout.

"I found the demon! He's over here!" a rather gruff voice cried.

Sheena couldn't help, but become interested now. She paused as she listened, hearing more shouts coming from an alley on the very street she was on. She dropped the groceries, and immediately followed the sounds of the voices to the alley, gasping in horror at what she saw. A group of angry, noisy men were surrounding a small child. The child was curled up in a ball, crying for someone, anyone to come save it. Sheena could not make out much, but she could tell that the child had golden blonde hair, and was bruised, muddy, and scared for his life. Immediately, the woman dashed forward, shoving the men out of the way.

"What the hell do you idiots think you're doing?!" she shouted as she went over to inspect the child.

"Get out of the way woman! Don't you know who that is?" one of the men shouted, one she recognized to be a Chuunin by the vest he was wearing.

Sheena eyes narrowed down on the child, and then she gasped in surprise as she looked the body over. It was a small boy, one who couldn't be older than six. He had golden blonde hair, deep ocean blue eyes, and tan skin. The most catching thing about him though, were the three whisker-like marks on each of his cheeks.

"This… This is…" she began.

"Right. It's the demon brat…" one of the men in the attacking group smirked. "The curse and nightmare of Konoha. He's trapped, and we have him right where we want him."

Sheena narrowed her eyes and walked closer to the boy. His eyes widened in fear as he backed away, trying to hide himself in the rags that you would have to be desperate to call clothes. She could here the boy sobbing in fear, tears running down the whiskered cheeks as his body began to shake.

"Please… Please don't hurt me anymore…" the child choked. "I didn't do anything… I… I just wanted to get something to eat…"

Sheena reached out and put her hand against the boy's cheek shakily. The boy slowly looked up at her, as the tears of fear and sadness raced down his cheeks. She rose to her feet and turned to face the group of attackers. The Chuunin of the group smirked as he walked forward and drew a kunai, licking the blade in anticipation.

"You see? It's the demon brat!" he shouted. "Now move so we can finish what the Yondaime started, and that fool the Sandaime stopped!"

"Not on your life…" Sheena replied. The small child looked up in surprise as the woman reached into a pouch on her belt and drew three kunai. "I will not let you harm this child… He's done nothing wrong."

"Tch… Figures we run into a sympathizer…" a rather fat man said in the group. Sheena could smell the sake hanging on his breath. "No matter, one dead woman with the brat won't make a difference."

The group began to move towards the woman and child. Pure killer intent was raining down upon both of them. Sheena could feel the boy grabbing hold of her pants leg, as if she was his anchor to life. The woman smiled weakly at him, before returning her attention to the group.

"I'm warning you…" Sheena spat. "Back off!"

"Or what?" the Chuunin asked.

"Or else I'll get involved." a voice replied.

The group looked around in confusion just in time to see a Jounin drop off a nearby roof, landing gracefully in between the attackers and ones being attacked. The woman couldn't make out much, other than he had spiky, silver hair that defied gravity and a mask that covered the lower part of his face. His Konoha hitai-ate was covering his left eye, leaving only the right one uncovered on his face. The Chuunin gasped in surprise and turned back to group.

"Shit, it's Kakashi! Everyone get out of here!" he cried.

The group turned to run, but before they could get far they found themselves surrounded by a group of ANBU. Sheena sighed in relief as she knew the child was safe. The group secured the men and teleported out of the area.

"Arigato…" she told the Jounin.

He turned back at the woman. A smile was evident on his face as his uncovered eye formed a "U" as it shut.

"No problem…" he said. "The boy's father was a friend of mine. It's the least I could do."

He disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving Sheena and the child alone. The woman turned to the boy, and knelt down to his eye-level. He still shook some as the tears in his eyes were still evident. She felt a lump in her throat as she put a smile on her face.

"That was a close one… Are you alright?" she asked.

"Y-yes…" the child replied. He looked up at her with those blue eyes that Sheena seemed to become lost in. "A-are you g-gonna hurt me too?"

"No… Of course not…" Sheena replied. She looked up as the rain started to stop, and then back at the child. "Tell me, do you have a name?"

"N-Naruto…" the boy replied.

"Well then, Naruto…" Sheena said. "How would you like to come home with me? I could clean you up, maybe get you a fresh change of clothes, and maybe even give you something to eat… What do you say?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, but then nodded his head in agreement. Sheena smiled, and she carried him away from the alley, towards her home.

Meanwhile, a small girl sighed in boredom as she gazed back at the clock hanging on the wall. She was wearing a simple pair of black shirts, and a pink tank top. She had brown hair, both pulled up into two messy pigtails, and deep brown eyes. The girl picked up a crayon, and began to move it across the paper in front of her again. This lasted for about three seconds, before she looked up at the clock and sighed again.

"For Kami's sake, Tenten." a woman sighed as she watched the girl. "Your kaa-san will be home soon…"

Tenten did a pout glare as she looked up at her baby sitter. The woman was wearing a long tan trench coat, a fishnet shirt, a tan miniskirt, and blue shinobi sandals with some ankle guards. She had her hair bulled up into a rather messy bun, with a hitai-ate tied around her forehead.

"Gomen, Anko-nee-chan." Tenten replied. "I just can't help it… Kaa-san never takes this long at the store!"

"Relax, Ten-chan…" Anko said as she ruffled the small seven year old's hair. "She'll be home any second. I know it!"

"How can you tell?" Tenten asked.

"Call it a shinobi's intuition!" the older woman replied with a grin. No sooner had those words left her mouth, did she hear someone stepping up to the front door. "See, that's probably Sheena now! Wait here, and I'll go find out, okay?"

Tenten nodded, and Anko walked to the front door of the house. The door opened, and in walked Sheena. Anko was confused as to why the woman didn't have any groceries in her hands. Sheena simply smiled in response.

"Um… Is there something I'm missing here?" Anko asked.

"You'll see…" Sheena replied. She stepped in a bit and looked around. "Ten-chan? Can you come here for a minute?"

The sound of Tenten running through the apartment was heard. A brown blur dashed past Anko, and leapt right into Sheena's arms. The small girl hugged her mother tightly, and Sheena kissed her on the forehead. Ten-chan's small eyes looked around with confusion in her eyes.

"Kaa-san? Where are the groceries?" the small girl asked.

"Something happened on the way home…" Sheena replied. "It's nothing to worry about though…" She put Tenten down and bent down, looking her in the eyes. "Ten-chan, I have someone I'd like you to meet… Would you like to meet a new friend?"

"Yes!" Tenten shouted energetically.

Sheena laughed lightly and turned around.

"It's ok, little one… Come on…" she said.

Tenten watched as a small boy came out from behind her mother and frowned. She had never seen a kid that looked so bruised and unhappy, and it made her feel sad. She slowly walked to the boy and hugged him. He tensed up at the touch, but found himself slowly returning the hug.

"My name is Tenten." the little girl told him. "What's your name?"

"N-Naruto…" the boy replied.

"That's a cool name!" Tenten replied. "Your name means maelstrom!"

"Um… Arigato…" Naruto said back.

Sheena bent down to the kids eye level and put her hand on Tenten's shoulder.

"Ten-chan, why don't you take Naruto into the other room to color, why I talk to Anko-chan for a bit, okay?" she asked her daughter.

Tenten nodded enthusiastically, and drug Naruto into the other room with a smile on her face. He looked back at Sheena for a moment, but the smile on her face told her that he was alright. He allowed a weak smile on his face as the two kids turned the corner to the room where Tenten's coloring book and crayons were. Sheena sighed in relief that Tenten took to Naruto so well, but Anko was speechless.

"That was…" she began.

"Yes…" Sheena responded. "Uzumaki Naruto, vessel for the Kyuubi…"

"What happened to him?" Anko demanded. "It was those goddamned villagers again, wasn't it?!"

"Yeah…" Sheena replied in a hushed voice. "I just can't seem to figure out why they treat him like that. Even though the Yondaime's last wish was to see him as hero, most of the village still see him as just that damn demon. Not for what he really is…"

"A child." Anko concluded.

"Yes…" Sheena said again. She began to walk to the other room with Anko walking behind. "Naruto would have been finished had I not stopped them for the moment. Thank Kami that a Jounin and some ANBU showed up to help too."

She peered into the other room where Naruto and Tenten were coloring. Tenten was telling the boy a story about her father when he was a shinobi, and the little boy would giggle at the story from time to time. Sheena walked over and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He jumped for a moment, but when he saw it was her, he allowed a smile to grace his lips.

"You ready for a bath?" she asked happily. Naruto made an audible gulp that caused the two women to laugh. Sheena scooped Naruto up in her arms and walked with Anko back to the front of the house. Tenten followed closely behind

"Well, I'm gonna get out of here." Anko said as she walked out the door. "Talk to ya later, Sheena-chan! Be good, Ten-chan and Naruto-kun!"

As the woman left Sheena turned to Tenten.

"Be a dear and go get me one of your otou-san's old shirts?" she asked the girl. Tenten nodded and bounced up the stairs, while Sheena took Naruto to the bathroom. "I know someone who's a stinky boy…"

"Gomen…" Naruto replied looking down.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto-kun!" Sheena replied. "A nice warm bath will fix that in no time!"

Soon, Naruto found himself standing in a tub with Sheena scrubbing all the dirt, mud, and dried blood out of his hair. She was humming a small song that made Naruto relax somewhat. She really had a pretty voice, Naruto was sure of that. Tenten was downstairs coloring while waiting for her mother to finish up. As Sheena poured another bucket of water over top of the blonde's soapy hair.

"So, Naruto-kun… Where do you live?" she asked. Naruto looked down a bit, and the woman rubbed his cheek reassuringly. "You can tell me."

"Nowhere." the boy replied.

"What?"

"I used to live in a place with a lady, and lots of other kids… She made me leave though. She said no one would ever want me, and I was just a waste of space…"

Sheena felt a lump in her throat as she picked Naruto out of the tub to dry him off. How long had the boy been on his own? Did the Hokage know anything about this? She'd definitely have to talk to him later about this. She reached out and put the shirt Tenten had brought on Naruto, when suddenly, there was a knock on the door. She ruffled his long, shoulder-length blonde hair, and opened the door to reveal Tenten.

"What is it, Ten-chan?" Sheena asked the small girl.

"It's the Hokage!" the small girl cheered. "He's downstairs, with a bunch of guys in masks, and this one man with silver hair! Oh, and he's only got one eye too!"

She nodded and rose to her feet, holding out her hand for Naruto to take, he was still a little reluctant, but he didn't get much choice before Tenten ran up and took his hand. She started dragging him out of the bathroom, down the hall towards where she said the Hokage and others were.

"You gotta see the Hokage!" she told Naruto. "He's the coolest old man in the whole village! And the one eyed man looks so neat!"

**--**

**Yeah, I decided to repost this... I don't really know why, but the thought of this story captivated me again. Please read, review, and enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related!**

**KONOHA STEEL**

**CHAPTER 2: A NEW BEGINNING**

Naruto hid behind Tenten's back as the duo arrived to the front door. Before them, stood two ANBU agents, the Jounin that helped come to Naruto's rescue earlier, and an old man. He was wearing a rather formal red and white robe, with a triangle hat in the same colors. He had a small smoking pipe in his mouth as he smiled at the two kids. He then looked up as Sheena arrived in the room as well. She couldn't help, but smile at her daughter's antics.

Since arriving at the door, Tenten began to look around and ask the Jounin all kinds of questions. Questions like how he got his hair to stand up like that, why it was such an odd color, and why he hid most of his face. The Jounin sighed as some of the girls questions were things he didn't like to talk about. Sheena could tell this, and she pulled Tenten and Naruto back, giving the man some space. She then turned to the Sandaime and bowed.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Hokage-sama." Sheena said. "To what do we owe this honored visit."

"Please, Sheena. There isn't a need to be so formal." the old man replied with a smile. "I heard what happened, and I thought I'd come by to check up on the boy." He paused as he bent down to Naruto's level and ruffled his hair. "I heard you had quite a day, Naruto-kun. I can't help, but wonder what you were doing outside of the orphanage though, especially in the middle of a rain storm…"

The boy looked down for a moment. The old man's eyes softened as Sheena cleared her throat. He looked up at the woman as she motioned for the den behind her. The Sandaime stood up and nodded in reply.

"Ten-chan, why don't you take Naruto up to your room to play?" Sheena asked.

"Alright, kaa-san!" Tenten cheered.

She took Naruto's hand and lead him up the stairs. The Hokage turned to the Jounin and smiled.

"Kakashi, why don't you follow them and keep an eye on them?" he asked as he walked into the living room.

"Hai, Hokage-sama…" Kakashi replied. He was no good at dealing with kids. He walked towards the stairs and looked up seeing Naruto and Tenten waiting atop them, the girl with an eager look plastered on her face. "Yes, yes… I'm coming…"

Sheena and the Hokage walked into the living room with the two ANBU agents following closely behind. She offered the old man a seat. He accepted and sat down with a sigh, removing his hat for a moment to rub his forehead in disgust.

"So… They threw him out again…" the Sandaime sighed.

"You knew?" Sheena asked in confusion.

"Yes, it's the only logical reason as to why Naruto would be out in the village in a storm like we just had. This is probably the fifth time they've thrown him out."

"And you sent him back?!"

"There isn't much else I can do. It's the safest place for Naruto to be. Besides, I'm always able to talk them into taking him back."

"That's crazy! They'll just toss him out on the streets again. Some thugs will show up to beat the life out of him, and the cycle will just repeat!"

"So do you have another solution?" The Hokage looked the woman in the eyes. "I care for him too, but I don't see many choices in the matter."

Sheena rose to her feet and looked at a picture sitting on table. It had herself, Tenten, and an older man that appeared to be her husband. She ran her fingers along the glass covering the photo, before looking back at the Hokage. A weak smile stretched across her lips, causing the man to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"A child so young… He should have a family…" she said.

"Are you suggesting that you wish to adopt him?" the Sandaime asked.

"Yes… I'll need to talk it over with Kenn, but I believe that he deserves a family… A home… Love."

"Talk it over with your husband and come to my office tomorrow. I'll have the orphanage send over his papers just in case."

Sheena smiled and nodded as the old man rose to his feet and placed his hat back on. They made their way up the stairs towards Tenten's room, where they found the most humorous sight. Tenten had apparently decided to have a tea party. Naruto was sitting beside her pouring himself a cup with a wide smile on his face. Kakashi was also partaking in the tea party. It was quite a sight seeing the Jounin wearing a pink fluffy scarf, and wide brimmed, purple hat with a flower sticking out of it. Imagine the look on his face as he looked up to see both Sheena and the Hokage smiling and laughing at the sight.

"Having fun, kids?" the old Hokage asked with a chuckle, making sure to address all three of the room's occupants.

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun, didn't we Naruto?" Tenten asked as she pulled the blonde boy over to the adults.

"Y-Yeah…" he replied sheepishly.

The old man noticed this, and knelt down on to his level. He placed a hand gently on Naruto's shoulder. The boy met the Hokage's eyes, and noticed the kind smile on his face.

"Naruto-kun… Tell me, do you like playing with Tenten?" the Sandaime asked.

Naruto nodded shyly.

"Would you like to spend some extra time with her?"

Again, Naruto nodded, though this time more sure of his answer.

"Well then, how about for tonight, you stay here?" The Sandaime looked over at Sheena and smiled. "I'm sure you are more than welcome to, correct?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun…" Sheena replied. "You'll be more than welcome to stay the night."

Tenten cheered at this. The small girl ran up and threw her arms around Naruto, hugging him tightly. Although hesitant at first, the boy too returned the hug, though a slight bit of blush was on his cheeks. Both Sheena and the Sandaime smiled at this, and Kakashi began to walk to the exit of the room.

"Then it is agreed…" the Hokage said as they left the kids to play, walking back downstairs. "Naruto-kun shall remain here for at least an evening…"

"And I'll talk to Kenn about adopting him." Sheena finished. "Though I doubt there will be much to discuss. Kenn was a close friend of the Yondaime, so he'd be sure to do whatever it took to protect the boy."

"Good… I shall see you both tomorrow with your answer then." the Hokage said.

Sheena nodded, and watched as the Hokage, Kakashi, and the two ANBU agents left the home. She sighed to herself as she fell back on the couch, running a hand through her hair. Sheena was sure that Kenn would want to help, but things were a little tight around as it was. Even if he agreed, another mouth to feed may make things quite difficult, at least for a while. Still, it was for the greater good. Sheena knew this. Her head turned to the sound of footsteps and the front door opening. Quickly, she rose from the couch, and walked to the door in time to see her husband walk in.

Kenn stood of average height, about 5'9" and had an average build. He had brown eyes, and black spiky hair that went down to just past his shoulders. He wore the typical Konoha shinobi flack vest, and underneath that was a black vest and pants, with matching shinobi sandals. His hitai-ate was tied around his waist, serving as a belt, and also as a holder for the katana sheathed on his left side. He looked up as he removed his sandals, smiling at the sight of his beautiful wife walking to him with open arms.

"Hello, Sheena-hime…" he sighed happily as he held his wife. "It's just not the same without you around me…"

"Nor is it without you here…" Sheena replied.

She paused as the two kissed passionately, before Kenn suddenly scooped the woman up into his arms. She laughed as the man ran to the couch jumping on top of it with Sheena still in his arms. The two kissed again, and then sighed happily. Sheena rested her head on Kenn's shoulder.

"So how was your mission?" she asked.

"A complete success." Kenn replied with a grin. "We were able to help the merchant cross the boarder to Sunagakure peacefully, with no major issues at all. Just the typical bandit thinking they can beat a Jounin by slashing around aimlessly with a rusty knife."

"That's good." Sheena replied. "Because things just wouldn't be the same without you."

Kenn kissed her again, and then jumped to his feet.

"By the way, where is my Ten-chan?" he asked. "I usually come home from a mission, and she's the one who jumps me!"

"Ten-chan is upstairs playing with a friend…" Sheena began. "Before you get her, I think we should talk…"

"Can it wait?" Kenn said as he left the living room. "I wanna see my Ten-chan first!"

The man began to run up the stairs to his daughter's room. Sheena sighed and chased after him. She was hoping that she could talk to him before he saw Naruto, but that didn't look like it was gonna happen. She ran up the stairs, just in time to see Kenn throw open the door to Tenten's room.

"Ten-chan! I'm home!" the man sang.

"Tou-san!" Tenten cheered as she jumped up from the small table in her room and into her father's arms. "I missed you so much!"

"Me too, Ten-chan… Me too…" Kenn replied as he kissed his daughter's cheek.

Tenten began to wiggle around.

"Tou-san, you'll never believe it. Earlier the um… The old man with the funny hat was here!" she shouted.

"Old man with the funny hat?" Kenn asked curiously. "You mean the Hokage?"

"Yeah, that's him!" Tenten replied. She pointed over to Naruto and smiled. "He came to check up on my new friend!"

Kenn raised an eyebrow as he followed the finger to a blonde, spiky haired youth who was standing in the corner, looking down at the ground. Kenn slowly put Tenten down, and walked to the boy. Gently, he put a hand on Naruto's chin, and raised it up, inspecting the boy's face. He stared intently at the whisker marks. The deep blue eyes, the ones that tried their best to hide pain, but obviously failed if you looked at them right.

"This is…" Kenn began.

"Maybe we should talk about this in the other room." Sheena interrupted.

Kenn looked up at his wife, and just stared into her eyes. He nodded, and took Sheena's hand as she led him into the other room. There was silence, but only for a moment before Kenn broke it.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Naruto was attacked again…" Sheena replied. "On my way home from market…"

"And you stopped the attackers." Kenn interrupted.

"Hai."

"Then you brought him here."

"Hai."

"The Hokage?"

"He showed up shortly after I brought him home. He was probably informed of the situation by the Jounin who came to my aid when Naruto was attacked."

"Jounin?" Kenn paused for a moment, thinking of who it could possibly be. "What did he look like?"

"Tall hair, it was silver and kind of slanted to the side." Sheena explained. "His hitai-ate was covering his left eye… And when he smiled, he closed his visible one. It kind of looked like the letter "U."

"Hatake Kakashi… Hai, that does make sense." Kenn mused. He walked over to the window, watching as the cold rain pattered against the window. "What did Hokage-sama say while he was here? What did he do?"

"I was told… That Naruto was outside in this storm… Being assaulted on the street like that because… The orphanage threw him out." Sheena said. "And this was not the first time…" Kenn looked back at his wife as she walked to a dresser in their room. She picked up a small frame, one containing Tenten's picture. "He said that he is able to get him back into the orphanage… But it is always just a matter of time before Naruto is back on the streets."

"I see…" Kenn replied.

"He brought up an interesting idea."

"Hmm?"

A brief silence passed by. Sheena was staring intently at Tenten's picture, slowly moving her fingers across the glass. Her eyes slowly looked up at Kenn, as she moved over to the bed. She sat on the edge, and her husband joined her soon after. Kenn watched as she took a deep breath, and then turned to face him.

"He thinks… He thinks that maybe… Naruto… Maybe he should be adopted." Sheena said.

"Adopted?" Kenn asked.

"Hai." she replied. Slowly, her eyes gazed down at the picture again. "He thinks… That maybe we would be the best choice."

"Us? I don't understand, why us?" Kenn asked. Confusion was evident in his tone.

"Well… There aren't many people in Konoha that see him for a boy… They see him as the Kyuubi." Sheena explained. Kenn gave a silent nod. "We are some of the few people who don't see him as a monster. We see him for what he really is. A lonely, scared, confused little boy who is hated for what he could not control. And… We are what he truly needs… A family."

Kenn listened intently to her reasoning. It was sound. Very sound. However, there were other concerns too. Business at the store was a little slow right now. Tenten was going to be beginning her schooling soon. Money was tight…

"Sheena-hime…" Kenn began. "You feel strongly about this, I know… But…"

"I could take a second job?" Sheena suggested. "Maybe cut back on our spending some?"

"That would help… But we're not making it enough here at the moment." Kenn responded. "Naruto… He may not be much better off with us than he is out there…" Sheena's gaze lowered, the sound of Naruto and Tenten's laughter could be heard from the bedroom. Kenn placed a hand under Sheena's chin, and raised her head to look into her eyes. "But… I always have had a thing for the little guy… He's kinda funny to watch sometimes… And Ten-chan seems to have taken a liking to him…"

"So, what are you saying?" Sheena asked.

"I'm saying… Lower the prices on some of our higher sellers at the store. I'll take on a few more missions here and there… And tomorrow, go shopping for some clothes, toys, and such for a boy." Kenn replied. He smirked as Sheena looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"You mean it?" Sheena asked, hope in her voice.

"Hai… Part of being a shinobi is taking risks after all." Kenn replied, pausing as Sheena kissed him deeply. Slowly, she pulled away and he smiled more. "Besides, I've always wanted a son."

--

**I finally managed to finish the second chapter, rather quickly too. Inspiration just flowed to me for it. I can't wait to start chapter three. Read, review, and I'll see you all soon.**


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